Hugo Chavez Says U.S. is Spreading Cancer to South America Deliberately

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he believes the U.S. government may be responsible for the recent string of cancer among several South American leaders.

According to Chavez, the outspoken leader who often criticizes the U.S. could have “invented technology to spread cancer,” MailOnline reported.

“It’s very difficult to explain, even with the law of probabilities, what has been happening to some of us in Latin America,” Chavez said on Wednesday in a broadcasted speech to the military. “Would it be so strange that they’ve invented technology to spread cancer and we won’t know about it for 50 years?”

Chavez is one of several South American leaders stricken with cancer within the last year. Other Latin American politicians afflicted with the disease include President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

On Tuesday, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina, announced she was suffering from thyroid cancer.

Chavez received treatment in Cuba for an unknown cancer, and has since said he is cured.

The leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela said he developed his theory of the U.S. spreading cancer through an unknown technology after speaking to deceased Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro, according to MailOnline. Chavez claims Castro described to him several attempts by the CIA to assassinate him.

“Fidel always tells me, ‘Chavez be careful, they’ve developed technology, be careful with what you eat, they could stick you with a small needle,’” Chavez said in his speech, according to MailOnline.

Chavez also warned some of his allies in Latin American to beware of such technology in his speech, but insisted he was not being presumptuous.

“In any case, I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just using my freedoms to reflect and issue comments on very strange events that are hard to explain,” Chavez said.